


What You Know...

by Solo23



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Caught, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Minor Archie Andrews/Betty Cooper, Misunderstandings, Sneaking Around
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-24
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:29:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29668689
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Solo23/pseuds/Solo23
Summary: Betty and Archie decided that they liked that shower hookup, but wanted to stay friends. With benefits. And keep it a secret from everyone. Jughead was not impressed.A 5 + 1 oneshot from Jughead's POV.
Relationships: Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	What You Know...

**Author's Note:**

> I watched 5x4 and I’ve seen spoilers for 5x5 and the trailer for 5x6, so I’m sure this is already an AU. 
> 
> This story revolves around the Barchie friends with benefits arrangement and it's possible outcome. I am not a Barchie fan, so if you like them you probably won't enjoy this story. 
> 
> This is unbeta-ed, unedited, and my first story on AO3, so please be nice. Thanks for reading!

The first time he saw them, Jughead’s heart skipped a beat and he felt sucker punched. Betty’s arms wrapped around Archie’s muscular torso and Archie’s hand entwined in Betty’s long wavy locks that she now wore loose from her iconic ponytail. His other hand clearly pressed against her lower back and seemed to be moving further south. Their heads moved in a coordinated dance as their lips remained locked on Archie’s front porch. Jughead froze for a moment, staring in horror before he looked away. 

He had asked to move into Archie’s house with serious misgivings, but the bunker had too many memories. Everywhere he looked in the admittedly small space, he flashed back to high school. To Betty. To his near-death experience. To Archie’s near-death experience. It was suffocating and counterproductive. He needed to get out. Archie’s house had seemed like the only option with the Coopers having repurchased their house from the Joneses and the Serpents hating him for some godforsaken reason. He should have just stayed in the damned bunker. 

A gentle breeze blew a lock of raven hair into Jughead’s stormy eyes and he pushed it back violently. With his vision once again unobstructed, he glanced back at the porch and saw the dreaded pair beginning to separate. He considered confronting them for a moment, but he honestly had no idea what to say. His thoughts remained a jumbled mess of ‘How could she?’ and ‘How could he?’ and ‘I always knew she was just waiting for Archie to notice her’ and ‘Did she ever love me? Was it all a lie?’ and ‘It’s been seven years, dumb ass, of course she’s moved on. So have you…right?’ until he couldn’t take it anymore. 

The couple held hands and presumably said their goodbyes under Archie’s yellow porch light and Jughead realized that as soon as Archie looked up or Betty turned, they would see him. With his thoughts and emotions powerful and racing and contradictory, that was the last thing Jughead wanted. He needed to get himself together. He needed to get out of sight. He dove into the tall lilac bushes that had been conveniently planted behind a short wooden fence next to the sidewalk on the corner where he had stood, frozen in horror, for what seemed like a lifetime but was actually about two minutes. He felt like an idiot. 

Branches scratched at his face as Jughead pushed his way into the awkward hiding spot and could feel the leaves and flower buds getting stuck in his hair. After a few minutes of controlled breathing to try to steady his emotions and his trembling hands, Jughead decided that what he really needed was a drink. 

With that thought, and not at all because he wanted to avoid Archie and Betty until he had sorted out why, exactly, seeing them together had been the emotional equivalent of getting hit by a freight train, he fumbled his way out of the bush and headed back in the direction he had come from. 

Initially he headed back toward Pop’s and the new Whyte Wyrm before his foggy, shock-numbed brain reminded him that Toni and the Serpents would not want him there and without someone they liked accompanying him (although why that should be necessary after he’d nearly died for them, fought for them and alongside them, covered up a murder, and gave them everything he could, he may never understand and why the fuck did that hurt so much) they probably wouldn’t let him in. 

He sighed, tilting his head back, staring at the bright stars and quarter moon while considering his options. He could buy something from the store a couple miles away and drink it somewhere else. Not at Archie’s. God he needed a drink. Everything would be better after those first few burning, numbing shots of whiskey, because there was no way in hell beer would be enough tonight. 

Three hours later, just after two, Jughead stumbled his way back toward the Andrews residence. He left an empty fifth of Jack Daniels under the bridge where he had stayed a few times in high school before everything and hoped the anticipated blackout would extend to pre-drinking hours. If any vengeful Ghoulies, or Serpents, or random serial killers decided to take advantage of his thoroughly inebriated state, Jughead didn’t care. He doubted anyone else would, either. Not for the first time, the New York Times Bestselling author wished Joan had hit him just a little bit harder with that rock harder seven years ago.

*****************************************************************************************************************************

Not nearly long enough later, Jughead woke to a head-splitting beeping noise in his dark, still spinning room. Taking a moment to ground himself and force down the nausea, Jughead rubbed his eyes and reached blindly for the source of the noise. His right hand fumbled with his phone to turn off that six o’clock alarm. He sat up slowly, still drunk but with the hangover effects already beginning. His first day as an English teacher (and why had he agreed to that, again?) was already off to a terrible start.

The steamy shower helped to clear his thoughts and the queasiness he felt could be attributed entirely to the previous night’s activities. The long blonde hairs stuck to the wall of the shower and poking out of the drain had nothing to do with it. 

A handful of Excedrin and Pepto would keep him functional enough for now. Hopefully it would be enough to keep him going through both jobs because after school got out he had a shift at Pop’s. He would drink water once he could keep it down and hope for the best. Even if he could afford lunch today it wouldn’t stay with him long enough to be worth the money. 

His unbearably chipper red-headed roommate called, “Need a ride?” as Jughead left the bathroom covered only by the towel wrapped around his waist. 

Jughead combed his wet hair to the side as he replied, “I’ll meet you there, thanks.” 

A glance out the window a few seconds later made him immediately regret his choice. Archie practically skipped across the street to the Cooper residence and knocked. Jughead pulled on a pair of khaki pants as he stared, transfixed by the view out the guest bedroom window. 

Betty Cooper emerged from the house, her long blonde hair curling gently as it cascaded past her shoulders. It rested gently on her blue turtleneck as she smiled and reached for Archie’s hand. The ginger war hero glanced back at his house with trepidation before he reached out to her.

The second time Jughead saw them kiss, it was brief and almost cautious. Like they thought they were doing something wrong and were going to get caught. Jughead’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he wondered if they were still worried about Alice Cooper’s reaction now that they were adults. She had never been fond of Archie.

That didn’t make sense. It took a minute—longer than it should have—for Jughead’s still slightly inebriated mind to put the pieces together. They weren’t worried about Alice Cooper. They were worried about him. His reaction. 

After a lot of alcohol and mostly forgotten self-reflection the night before, Jughead resigned himself to the conclusion that Betty and Archie were inevitable. He had no right to stand between them. In fact, by climbing the ladder to Betty’s room and kissing her that first (amazing) time in their sophomore year of high school, Jughead had upset the balance of the universe. He had set off a chain of events that led to serial killers and hostile takeovers, death and destruction, and heartache all around. Maybe he could fix it by standing back, burying his feelings (not that he had any feelings anymore—he had moved on, really), and letting nature take its course. Betty and Archie could date, get married, have 2.5 kids and a white picket fence and balance would be restored to the universe. 

Jughead might not remember everything (or, really, anything) from after he started drinking the night before, but he remembered that. They would tell him at some point, maybe even today, that they had decided to take their shot. They both seemed to be single and it had been long enough that their feelings for Jughead and Veronica were nothing but distant (but hopefully pleasant) memories. He would be ready and he would give them his blessing, not that they needed it. He would not be petty or angry or upset or whatever it was that made them nervous. He wasn’t even offended that they were afraid of his reaction. He would be ready. Really, everything would be fine.

With a weary sigh, Jughead hefted his messenger bag over his shoulder and left the house. Really, it would be fine. 

*****************************************************************************************************************************

The third time Jughead saw them was in the music room at the end of fourth period, right before lunch three days later. He had waited for the inevitable conversation for three days and was starting to get a little bit irritated. 

The novelist had actually started to think that maybe Betty and Archie weren’t fated to be together after all. Maybe they had tried dating briefly and broken it off, so they hadn’t felt the need to mention it to their former friend and Archie’s current roommate. 

That notion had been quelled as Jughead walked down the hall toward his classroom, returning with a stack of quizzes for his sixth period class, and saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye. He paused, turned, and peered through the window in the music room door. Betty’s head was tilted back as Archie sucked on her neck like a vampire. No wonder Betty had been wearing turtlenecks. 

A flash of anger shot through Jughead and he felt his face flush even as he reminded himself that he had no right to be angry. The anger quickly gave way to pain and Jughead shoved that down, too. It had been seven years. Why the fuck was this still bothering him so much?

He had moved on. He had been with Jessica and at least a few one night stands. Betty and Archie were inevitable. Betty had always loved Archie. They had perfect, successful lives and they deserved each other. They deserved to be happy. 

Jughead sighed and walked back toward his classroom. He stayed there for fifth period lunch, which no one would notice because he had stayed there for lunch every day since he started. He didn’t actually have a lunch, but that was okay. He would be working at Pop’s tonight and Tabitha would let him eat the old fries when they started a fresh batch and whatever meal was sent back with “problems.” There was always one. Well, usually. 

Maybe tonight when he got home from work Archie would talk to him. Or maybe he and Betty were waiting until the weekend, trying to respect Jughead’s schedule. Teaching all day, then working at Pop’s, and coming home to grade papers, tests, and quizzes was exhausting. Surely that’s why they were waiting. 

He really hoped they would tell him soon. Pretending not to know was exhausting, but bringing it up himself felt inappropriate. What if they thought he was jealous, or spying on them? No, it was better to wait. It really would be fine. Really. 

*****************************************************************************************************************************

The fourth time Jughead saw them, he wished that eyeball bleach was actually a thing. Or brain bleach. Anything, really, that could make him unsee what he saw. 

It was Friday night and the school was deserted. Jughead had the night off from Pop’s (Tabitha wanted him to try to “bond” with his high school friends) and he was trying to write something for his novel. The eerie feeling of the deserted high school had sparked inspiration for continuing to flesh out the Mothman-inspired story he had started after talking to Tabitha. 

In one week he had written four chapters—more than the previous year and a half combined—and he owed it all to Tabitha Tate. Well, maybe Pop, too. Without Pop he doubted Tabitha would have given him a job. He had no illusions about how much of a mess he’d become over the last few years. Even better, he had asked Tabitha if he could use her story as inspiration and she had agreed. He avoided basing any characters on any actual people. 

Since the incident on Wednesday, it had really been a good week. It finally felt like things were going right. He still wondered why Betty and Archie wouldn’t just tell him what was going on between them, but it was fine. Good. Really.

He had Tabitha supporting him and Pop stopping by and that was all he needed. That and a shot of whiskey or five before bed. Life was good.

Still, no matter how good or productive he was, after typing for two hours he started getting restless. With a sigh and a swig of whiskey the flask in his bag (it was fine to drink after school hours, wasn’t it?), Jughead pushed back from his desk and started wandering through the dark halls of Riverdale High. 

He wandered aimlessly, daydreaming about what would come next in his story. All of the lights were off and he felt like a sophomore again. He wandered by the closet that had been his home for a few weeks smiled crookedly. He had thought life was hard back then, but he really had no idea. 

Eventually he found himself outside the garage where Betty held her shop class. A light illuminated the crack under the door and Jughead glanced at his watch. It was well after seven on a Friday night. Surely Betty or the janitor had simply forgotten to turn off the light before leaving for the weekend. 

With an odd sense of trepidation, Jughead pushed the door open quietly. He glanced around for Betty, if she was still there, or the light switch. As he reached for the switch, a flash of movement distracted him. 

The old blue car in spot number three had fog starting on the windows. A hand hit the window, then slid down slowly. Jughead’s eyes widened in horror and he approached the vehicle cautiously. If they were students, he needed to stop it. If they weren’t…well, he hoped they were students.

A glimpse through the foggy windshield proved that they were not students. Images of Betty and Archie naked and entwined in the backseat of the car burned themselves into Jughead’s brain as he fled the garage. 

He didn’t remember returning to Archie’s house, but suddenly he was there, with his laptop and his papers to grade and a fresh fifth of whiskey. A fresh six pack sat next to the fridge, too. 

His book and the papers could wait. If he started feeling sick before he’d finished three shots, it still had to be the alcohol. It had nothing to do with the car and what he saw. Betty and Archie might belong together, but if he never saw something like that again it would be too soon. Everything was fine. Really.

When Jughead showed up to work the next morning, the beer and whiskey were both gone. Tabitha sent his drunk ass home in disgust and Jughead wondered if he’d managed to alienate his only friend in town. ‘Just a little bit harder, Joan,’ he thought as he wandered toward Fox Forest, ‘why couldn’t you have hit me just a little bit harder.’

*****************************************************************************************************************************

The fifth time Jughead saw them it was so natural that it barely registered as strange. Veronica had stopped by his classroom at the beginning of fifth period and demanded his presence in the teacher’s lounge. He had grumbled about needing to work on his book, but Veronica was nothing if not stubborn and in the end he had relented. 

Veronica had walked with him until they passed the main office, where she had insisted that he continue and she went in to pick up the lunch her husband, Chad, had dropped off. Jughead picked up a bit of venom in her tone when she mentioned Chad and almost asked if they were having some sort of problem, or if he could help.

Then Jughead remembered that he and Veronica had never really been friends and, even if they had been in high school they weren’t anymore. Besides, it would be nosy and intrusive. It’s not like Jughead had ever been able to make a relationship work. Why would anyone come to him for advice about anything?

Jughead’s shoulders slumped a bit as he walked, head down, toward the teacher’s lounge. He opened the door without knocking (was that even necessary?) or checking the window first. As he stepped in, he caught a glimpse of Betty’s fingers laced with Archie’s, the two staring at each other adoringly before they sprang apart guiltily. 

Jughead pretended not to notice as he fell back onto the couch and stared at the ceiling. They greeted each other with a round of awkward “Hey” before falling into silence. Betty and Archie didn’t bring up what Jughead had walked in on or anything thing else from the previous week and neither did he.  
Two minutes later Veronica saved them from the tense silence when she burst in the door, tossed her lunch down on the coffee table in front of the couch Jughead sat at (not at the table with Betty and Archie, which struck Jughead as strange), and expressed her horror at her students’ test scores. Jughead rolled his eyes and wondered aloud if his students had ever been taught the meaning of a complete sentence. Betty and Archie didn’t say anything at all.

*****************************************************************************************************************************

The last time Jughead saw them, they saw him, too. It was a Saturday morning, two weeks after it had all started, and they thought he would still be asleep. Jughead could hardly blame them for that. He had worked late at Pop’s, not coming home until after midnight, and he didn’t have to go back in until seven that night for the night shift. 

Just after six in the morning, Jughead pulled himself away from his computer. He and Tabitha had talked about his book during slow times and he had once again felt inspired to write. This return to Riverdale, ridiculous as it was, had really helped him. He had stayed up all night writing more of his book and his agent might actually be happy with him again for the first time in over two years. Before he could finish and send the new chapters, though, he needed coffee.

Archie’s bedroom door was open and also happened to be between Jughead’s room and the stairs. As he passed the open door, he saw Archie lying back in bed with Betty sitting up next to him in nothing but her bra and whatever was under the sheets (Jughead assumed nothing. They were adults. Sex was normal. It didn’t hurt. Really). His eyes met Betty’s and then Archie’s and he couldn’t pretend not to see it this time.

Archie sat up, somehow positioning himself between Jughead and Betty, his face hardening like he thought Jughead would hurt them. Betty gasped and Jughead could see tears well in her eyes before her face hardened, too. Jughead wondered why she would react that way. 

Keeping his own reaction minimal was easier after two weeks of practice. It no longer felt like a freight train. Instead, he just felt empty. 

“Jughead, Betty and I,” Archie started, his eyes searching hers for something. He seemed to find an answer or decided to push on with whatever he’d planned, “we’re just friends.”

There may or may not have been a hint of hysteria in Jughead’s responding laughter. Betty’s mouth fell open for a moment in shock before she turned a fierce glare toward the red head in bed beside her. 

“I saw you, Archie,” Jughead replied when his laughter subsided, “you and Betty. Two weeks ago, kissing on the porch, and in the car at school last Friday, and a few other times since then.” 

A tear rolled down Betty’s cheek and Jughead didn’t know why. His tone was carefully and deliberately even, he wasn’t being angry or emotional. He was stating facts. Archie had been struck speechless by the declaration.

“We’re all adults,” he continued in his carefully measured tone, face as stoic as he could keep it, “and we broke up seven years ago. You’re allowed to date whoever you want—both of you—and I know you’ve wanted this since high school. I’m not going to stand in your way again. I just want to know,” he paused as Betty’s tears devolved into full sobs, “were you ever going to tell me? Didn’t you think I deserved to know, at least, instead of walking in on it?”

“Jug,” Betty sobbed, more hurt than Jughead had expected. Archie glared at Jughead before reaching out to Betty. She pulled away and left Archie’s hand hanging awkwardly in the space between them. Irritation at Archie (and Betty, as much as he hated to admit it) surged as they made him feel guilty for this. 

Jughead took a step back, shaking his head in disbelief. Betty’s voice stopped him, “I’m sorry, Jug.”

His eyebrows furrowed as he turned, but he found himself speechless. Archie glanced between them and added, “We didn’t want to hurt you, Jughead. Or Veronica.”

Jughead’s eyebrows rose and he couldn’t suppress his disbelieving huff at that, “So you decided to sneak around? Why? We’re adults.”

“It didn’t mean anything,” Betty answered, pulling further away from Archie. The red head nodded his agreement and added, “We really are just friends, Jughead.”

At Jughead’s baffled glance between them, Betty elaborated, “It’s just sex, Jug. We’re not dating. It isn’t like that.” 

“Oh,” Jughead answered, lightheaded and suddenly unable to focus on anything. Coffee. He needed coffee. Maybe with a little something extra. 

Betty and Archie weren’t together and he didn’t know how to process that. He could understand them being together. It’s one of the reasons he and Betty broke up. Betty and Archie were meant for each other. But then why were they having this weird friends with benefits arrangement instead of dating? 

Things didn’t start making sense again until much later. The conversation had stopped there, with a dazed Jughead wandering off in search of coffee and a bemused not-couple deciding that as much as they enjoyed the sex, it was over.

Jughead’s initial reaction may have made Betty believe that he had moved on, but the goofy grin and speechlessness after hearing that she and Archie were not dating had proved otherwise. Once his brain started working again, Jughead realized that Betty must still feel something for him, too, or she wouldn’t have been so upset. 

Betty invited Jughead to help with her investigation into Polly’s disappearance and he asked for her help in the Mothman case. They gradually rebuilt the trust they’d once had in each other and eventually started discussing deeper, more meaningful things. They finally discussed the kiss from high school that had disintegrated everything. They talked about the voicemail—what Jughead had said and what he’d meant and what Betty had heard. Betty talked about the TBK and what happened to her. Jughead explained the drinking and the debt. By the end of the school year they were back together. The next year they were engaged. They had lost seven years to mistakes and misunderstandings, but they wouldn’t miss any more time. Together they could overcome anything.


End file.
